Grasses in Fall

Hello again,
This week I wanted to make note of some of the dwarf grasses in our gardens. Fall is the best time of year for most grasses, so it makes my job very easy in showing off how beautiful they can be.

Sporobolus heterolepis 'Tara' 'Tara' has been in the garden for some time now. I've had it on the blog several times, but this year, it showed me something distinguishingly different. The stems are a rustic red color! In this particular picture, a straight species Sporobolus reseeded itself amongst the 'Tara', and that is why it looks so large. The species having the bright yellow stems above, contrasts quite nicely with the smaller 'Tara'.
Calamagrostis brachytricha
This is not necessarily a dwarf, being a species itself. Just a smaller grass that is not well enough known. C. brachytricha is a 3-4 tall grass that has amazingly showy plumes in late summer. Unlike it's cousin 'Karl Foerster', this blooms late in the year rather than in spring. It can also handle a small amount of shade. Preferably afternoon shade, as the morning sun is as important to plants as your first morning coffee.
Deschampsia cespitosa 'Goldtau'
Gold Dew Tufted Hair Grass is quickly becoming one of my favorite grasses in the landscape. Glowing seedheads float above pale green foliage, and light up with just a touch of sun. This planting gets half day sun and does quite well. This variety does prefer some moisture, but can handle periods of drought. Only growing 24" tall with flowers in our garden, the grass itself is about 12" tall and 24" wide.

Schizachyrium 'Carousel' In my estimation, this is one of the best plants to come out of Chicagoland Grows. It offers a native cultivar that grows more uniform so those that are afraid of the wild look can be satisfied. Consistently growing to 24" tall and wide, the fall colors on this are astounding, and only when in nutrient rich soils, does it flop over.
Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven' Another impressive Little Blue Stem is 'Blue Heaven'. This one grows about 4' tall and sways with the slightest breeze. Reds and oranges abound, this beauty will be appreciated by the hardest to please. In summer, foliage is steely blue and matches well with orange flowers from Daylilies or Geum.

Gentiana 'True Blue' I wish my picture would do this plant justice. But it seems very difficult to capture the color blue that these actually are. Regardless, this stunning fall bloomer grows to 24" tall and wide with a somewhat cascading habit. We had these in containers this year and they presented like a nice "Spiller" would.

Allium 'Ozawa' 'Ozawa' is one of my favorite plants this time of year. It seems like I wait and wait for it to look amazing, and when it finally starts to bloom, it never fails to impress. As you can see in the picture, the honeybees love the late season pollen that these produce. And who wouldn't love that color in the front of the shade border.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this blog. Don't forget that it is perfect timing to plant some bulbs. Give us a call, we still have some great varieties available. And while the fall colors last, enjoy them. Until next time, have a great day!

The Last Flowers

Hello again,
It's getting to the end of the colorful seasons. Winter will be here shortly, so viewing some nicely colored flowers and fall color is needed before the doldrums of winter when everything looks black and white. Some surprises and some not so surprising follow here.

Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
This is the one that surprised me to see in flower. Usually blooming much earlier, the Jupiter's Beard was looking rather nice today. While this plant has been reported to be a seedy character, I find that it is well behaved. I like to mix it with Geranium 'Rozanne' for a blue and red summer show. The foliage stays very clean and could take the place of a red Phlox any day for me. Topping it off, is the fact that this plant is very drought tolerant. If you are unaware of this plant, try it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.
Aster tataricus 'Jindai'
This is a plant that can move around a little bit. But if you use plants that compete with it well, it shouldn't be a problem. I've had it planted for 6 years at Midwest Groundcovers and started with 5 plants. Now that same area has about 15. It is combined with Panicum 'Dewey Blue' and Solidago 'Fireworks', and the two of them keep 'Jindai' in check. Plants in general are much different than most Asters. While most are mounded in habit, 'Jindai' grows vertically. A recommendation would be to plant it near a stairway where people can look down at its' upward facing blooms.
Aster 'Vibrant Dome'
Sticking with Asters here. This is a new one that we just started selling this year. It is the sister to the well known 'Purple Dome'. Both develop nice mounded dome shaped habits. This is the pink for those that need something a little larger than the 'Wood's Series' Asters.

Allium 'Ozawa'
I was very impressed by the bees swarming this plant today. The pollen looked fresh and they were taking a dip in it. I showed this plant often last year as it progressed. I find it to be quite interesting. Unfortunately, the masses didn't agree and we will not have it for sale in 2011. However, we are revamping it in a quart pot thinking that it suits the plant much better. Overall, this isn't a terribly large plant. Growing only 12" tall and not much wider, it's difficult to make a small plant like this look good in a #1 size pot. So hopefully in 2012, you will take advantage of our new size and plant at will. It makes for a great late season perennial to poke in between your Echinacea and grasses.
Schizachyrium 'Carousel'
This is one that looks great all year round. But I am a fan of Little Blue Stem the most when it is in seed. I love the colors that the grass takes on. Russet reds and browns look great in contrast with Aster oblongifolius 'October Skies'. The Allium above would work great as well as many other smaller perennials. This plant can take dry conditions and does well with some moisture as well.



Thanks again for taking the time to read the blog. I hope you've enjoyed. And furthermore, I hope you have a great day!

Free Hotdogs!

Hello everybody,
You may or may not be aware that this is Midwest Groundcovers' 40th Anniversary this year. Hopefully you are aware. But we've been having some great sales this year as well as some free hot dogs. You missed the October 5th free hot dog stand, but you are most welcome on the 12th as we dish out hot dogs from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
Look at the grill marks! Rick is the grill master! These are all beef hot dogs. All the condiments that you may like as well as some apple cider is on hand for you. Please come and enjoy the flavor.




Allium 'Ozawa'
I've shown a couple pictures this year of this plant. The anticipation of seeing what I see now was, to me, worth it. These are the open flowers of 'Ozawa'. Isn't she lovely? They don't look the greatest in containers, but for the landscape, they look fantastic this time of the year. Patience is a virtue. This one requires it.

Callirhoe involucrata
This is a plant that we are considering growing. They tend to send off some long arms, so we were unsure how that would go over. This is another plant whose virtues are worth waiting for. In the landscape you will be rewarded with fabulous color in summer and fall. Bottom line is, in a container, Callirhoe is lacking. Put it in the ground, and you have a superstar!

Aconitum fischerii
The late bloomer. These are not in our product line either, but I'm interested in the demand. If you want beautiful Monkshood, you should let us know. These are established plants in the landscape. I have them in full sun, but this plant will tolerate a good amount of shade as well. In fact, the shade is "preferred." I look at the plants in full sun, and wonder how they could look any better.

Miscanthus 'Autumn Red'
The farthest right of all the Miscanthus pictured, 'Autumn Red' creates a fairly upright clump that turns a nice mix of colors in the fall. This is most similar to 'Purpurascens' but with nicer fall color.

Labor Day Week!

Hello all,
It's always great having a short work week. But it usually means there is more to do on Tuesday when we get back. Either way, those three days off are welcome and can come back whenever they please. This week was particularly interesting for me, because we hosted our first ever Landscape Contractor Day. Attendance wasn't great, but the group that did come was fantastic.
The day started off with Jim Kleinwachter from Conservation Foundation, followed by Auggie Rodriguez from Unilock and presentations from Midwest Groundcovers staff on our recycling program(at left) with Catalino Mendoza, Stan Schumacher talked about PP&O Nursery who grows trees that we sell for pick up customers, and myself doing a landscape walk. Overall, I hope those that came, walked away more informed. Thanks to those of you who were here, and to the people that were not, I hope to see you the next time!
Centranthus ruber 'Coccineus'
Thanks go to Martie Brennan for teaching me about this plant a couple years ago. The color is very different than anything else blooming at this time, and the foliage still looks very clean. A nice landscape plant that can be paired with Geranium 'Jolly Bee' or Sesleria autumnalis.


Anemone 'Honorine Jobert'
Who doesn't like white Anemones. I used to think that they were a fairly boring bunch. I even once said, "It's just an Anemone!" Well, Dave Meyer put me in my place, and today I love these plants. 'Honorine Jobert', 'Pamina' and 'September Charm' are all fall flowering Anemones I would recommend for any gardener. They are a great, cheery fall surprise.


And then the fog rolls in!
Many mornings in the past month it has been very foggy coming into work. I've either not had my camera with me, or the mornings have been too busy to take pictures. This morning, I came in early hoping to get a couple of good shots. I think I did alright! Both pictures take place in the Piet Oudolf designed garden. This one has a beautiful grouping of Calamagrostis brachytricha, otherwise known as Korean Feather Reed Grass in common circles.

In this picture, Hydrangea 'Limelight' in a large container is in the foreground with Panicum 'Dallas Blues' and many others in the background. I just love the fog in the morning. In another setting, this could be spooky, but at Midwest Groundcovers, it is very peaceful.

Anticipation:
One of my favorite parts of winter is the anticipation of spring. I think I look at more plant catalogs in winter than any other time of the year. I know there are a lot of you that don't like winter and wish summer could stay forever, but the anticipation of the first Hamamelis vernalis(Witchhazel) to bloom is so exciting that I couldn't live without it. Well, I found a couple things that almost rival the anticipation I feel for spring.
Allium 'Ozawa'

This would be a plant that I have been watching for several weeks now. The more time that passes, the more interesting the plant becomes. I just can't wait for the flowers to pop open and display their bright pinks! I'll show a picture once they do open. This plant is nice because it does reseed, but it's so small and blooms at such a unique time, that it can wander through your garden and be a very welcome visitor. The rabbits don't like her either.

Gentiana andrewsii
This plant I can wait all year for. It is the most exciting thing to me in the landscape here at St Charles. I enjoy seeing it in the wild as much if not more, but it is fun to watch this come out from under the Salix purpurea 'Nana' in our landscape. Every year I get to show him off, and every year there are oohs and aahs. My favorite story to tell about this plant is about the pollination of it. Bumblebees are the primary insect that works with these plants. The top of the plant does not open so that smaller insects that don't have as much success cannot get in. The bumblebee knows when the flower is done with pollen when the tips of the flowers go from purple to white. When they are white, they have been cleaned out. That is quite interesting isn't it?

Anticipation and nervousness are very similar. I tell my wife when she gets nervous to turn the nerves into positive anticipation and everything will be alright! It doesn't always work, but..... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this weeks column. Until next time, have a great day!